


whirlpool

by lenardo_09



Category: Apex Legends (Video Games)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-10
Updated: 2020-09-10
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:54:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,445
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26394490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lenardo_09/pseuds/lenardo_09
Summary: Elliott isn't one to lose his temper, and it's to the last person he ever wants to hurt.
Relationships: Crypto | Park Tae Joon/Mirage | Elliott Witt
Comments: 3
Kudos: 56





	whirlpool

**Author's Note:**

> I kinda hate how this turned out but I've been very bad about getting content out and I feel bad;;;
> 
> I hope you all enjoy regardless!!

Park could admit, sometimes, he was a dick. 

He was far from a sweetheart, had a knack for saying things on his mind, and his filter with certain people was checked out. How he acted was simply born of a no-nonsense attitude, and, if something was bothering him, he'd say as much. 

But he still had feelings, just like everyone else, contrary to popular belief. He could feel offense and sadness—though they're repressed emotions, so he rarely acknowledges them, and so it'll fade with time. That's how he's functioned and it won't change anytime soon. 

He also thinks himself to be pretty sturdy, able to take a verbal beating, accustomed to it by now; a tolerance was created through ordeal after ordeal sewn by venomous tongues. In essence, he's a tough cookie, and it takes quite a bit to hit him in a sensitive place. 

Even with bullets flying overhead and shouts of pain and commands echoing throughout the area, Park kept a level head, Alternator clutched to his chest. 

He wasn't fond of Kings Canyon, he noted. If he wasn't landing with a dozen other people, he was shooting one squad and attracting the attention of others. He supposed it's because his debut had occurred in the other arena, but this was all certainly exacerbated by Andrade’s little  _ stunt— _ and there she is, always the name that came to mind when he had some kind of issue.

The sound of a decoy materializing was heard, the hacker’s eyes shifting over to where the engineer had been hidden behind cover. He had gotten his shields ripped through by a particularly nasty shot from Anita’s G7-Scout, and the cry of pain that came from him was—well, alarming, to say the least. He was healing now, anxiously peeking over cover just in case someone rushed him—but Anita’s squad was preoccupied with a third-party from Natalie’s squad, so they weren't too concerned. 

Their third member, Nox, had run off on his own, and, really, he shouldn't be surprised. Frankly, Park preferred to be as far away as possible from him; he'd rather not be on a team with him in general, so this was compensation for that. 

Elliott knew as much and tried to be courteous of that, but there was only so much he could do when teamwork was a requirement. Nox wasn't exactly compliant, and the perpetual silence Park gave off made it so the trickster was always caught in awkward positions. 

A sigh passed his lips—and not a moment too soon, because a stray grenade fell right on top of him, resulting in him being knocked. It certainly wasn't his proudest moment, but it was a moment nonetheless. Park’s head had snapped to where Elliott was, bleeding out on the ground. 

“Hey—uh,  _ little help over here, _ ” Elliott called, more so directed at their third—who, apparently, had decided to ditch them altogether and was  _ miles _ away. “Fuck…”

Elliott had to give it to Park. For being one of the less physically able Legends, he certainly puts up a fight. He had slid in behind cover alongside Elliott, though they both knew he didn't have enough time to plunge the syringe into Elliott’s chest. He fended off the approaching enemy teams as well as he could, but, in the end, the hacker ended up in the same state as Elliott. 

Unsurprisingly, they didn't win that match. 

The holo engineer had been pretty heated the rest of the day. He wasn't one for such curt responses nor lack of smiles, but there had been a lot tugging at the back of his head—rude comments about, well, everything, his mother’s deteriorating condition, failed improvements to his holo-gear, and these last few matches hadn't quite ended in his favor. His bar was suffering as well, even with Ramya’s  _ generous  _ funds. Frankly, it felt like he was stuck in a hurricane, and the eye was so far away. 

Park noticed—well, Park notices everything, even when Bloodhound got a haircut, which Elliott is still trying to figure out; did they shorten it? Anyway, the hacker’s strong suit wasn't verbal support, and he suffered a great deal in the physical department as well, but Elliott appreciated the occasional hug and listening to the trickster ramble about his life. He did help as well. Elliott’s positive the money he found randomly in his bank account didn't just get there on its own, what with the additional bags under Park's eyes and being even  _ more _ focused on his work than usual. 

And that's why Elliott felt like possibly the biggest asshole alive when he snapped at the man. 

It isn't frequent the two have fights. They're always over little things, too. Who ate the last bag of gummy worms? Who forgot to get coffee? Who knocked over their Mirage statue? Always stupid things, never resulting in insults being flung (unless they were fond) nor did they cease communication. And they could always have a laugh in the end. Elliott was good at making light of tense situations, but this felt… too much. 

Elliott had zapped himself for the fifth time that day, trying to work on his gear. Park had offered some admittedly helpful advice, but Elliott turned around and told him to “keep his nosy ass out of it.” The hacker wasn't quite used to such an attitude, so he had taken a moment to recover before getting into it with the other. 

Some things were said, but it all came to a grinding halt when Elliott went on a long tangent and “paranoid freak” came out, this time with active malice. The hacker went stone-faced, took a deep breath, and left. 

Now the man was holding his head in his hands, having thoroughly fucked up the one good thing happening to him during this  _ ordeal _ of an existence. 

“I can't believe I said that to him…” the trickster mumbled, hearing Renee sigh next to him. 

“You're going to have to apologize.”

“Yeah, like that wasn't obvious! But  _ how _ do you say sorry for something like that?” Elliott pulled his head away, looking up at her. “Help me…?”

The skirmisher desperately wanted to tell him to handle it himself, but it wasn't the time. He needed someone when he had no one, and she was his friend, through and through, even during the times she wanted to snap his goggles over his eyes—someone else  _ has _ to have that temptation. 

“Okay, look, I know next to nothing about romance, and even less about your boyfriend, but one thing is pretty obvious: he's stupidly crazy about you, and, if you give him time, he'll calm down and you can talk to him.”

“Right… but what if he doesn't?”

“Then you throw a grenade at his window until he lets you in.”

Both Elliott’s and Renee’s gazes fall to where Octavio was, tinkering away on his prosthetics. The man waved his wrench, grinning under his mask. 

The trickster sighed. “Well, I hope he forgives me, because I'm pretty sure throwing a grenade at him will make him hate me.”

“No, no, at his  _ window— _ ”

“ _ Anyway, _ just give him some space,” the void specialist quickly interrupted, sending a glare Octavio’s way. “You guys will be fine.”

“That's the most hopeful thing I've ever heard you say.”

“Witt.”

“Right, shutting up now.”

— ;;

When Park of all people came knocking on her door, Ajay was… surprised, to say the least. He didn't make regular visits—to anyone, really—and only hung around Elliott and occasionally Renee (Natalie, too, once upon a time). He looked down, not the normal scowling hacker the medic was so accustomed to, so she let him in without second thought. 

Ramya was over as well, and she was far more nosy than Ajay could ever be. 

“Somethin’ happen there, mate? Ya look like a box of sad kittens,” she asked as Park helped himself to the coffee Ajay had. She had no complaints; that stuff was usually for guests anyway. 

“No.” Simple, as is the case with the hacker. Ajay and Ramya didn't buy it, even for a second. 

“So, yuh comin’ ova just ‘cause?” the medic then asked, receiving a nod. “Right. Ya neva come ova, ya know that?”

“Mmhm.”

“Yuh always so busy with ya work and the games—no one ever sees ya after.”

“I know.”

“No one except yuh boyfriend.”

Park’s silence gave Ajay all the information she needed. And Ramya as well, if her glance at Ajay was anything to go by. 

“All right, what’d the bloke do to ya?” the engineer asked, turning her gaze towards the back of Park’s head. 

“Nothing.” He was now patiently waiting for his beverage to finish filling. “Small argument.”

“Small, huh?” Ajay raised a brow, arms crossing over her chest. “Ya know we don't believe yuh, Kim. Spill it.”

The hacker released a sigh. He had come over to simply be in company of someone who wasn't a frequent nuisance, someone who didn't poke and prod and the like. Ramya hadn't been a factor, however, and thus his plan fell apart. Neither were people he really saw out of the ring, aside from the occasional outing with Ajay that ended with Elliott coming to pick the two up because Ajay decided they'd get their hands on alcohol and “ _ loosen up a bit. _ ”

He turned, back leaning against the counter, gaze fixated on the floor. It really was none of their business, that little voice in his head said, but he was already bottling up so much. He wasn't going to cry, sob about how cruel his lover had been, because it was just a moment of anger and, in his heart, he knew Elliott didn't mean it, but that didn't stop it from hurting. He knew Elliott was under a lot of stress right now. He wasn't mad, just a little hurt, but he's used to licking his wounds. 

There wasn't anything wrong with letting free a few of his frustrations, right? 

“Elliott has been under a lot of stress,” the hacker began, listening to the coffee machine behind him, “and I've tried to be as supportive as I could. Today was just especially bad. His gear wasn't cooperating and he kept accidentally shocking himself, and I tried to help, but then he started yelling at me…” Park shook his head and turned back to his coffee mug, finally filled and prepared to be destroyed with sugar. Normally, he had it with just a little sugar, but he thought he could have a little treat. “I yelled back and… It doesn't matter. He says it all the time—I know he doesn't mean it.”

Ajay raised a brow, beginning to move towards the hacker, still focused on shoving spoonful after spoonful of sugar into his mug. “Bein’ under stress don’ mean he gets ta yell at ya, Hyeon.” The hacker’s silence prompted her to continue, moving to lean next to him against the counter. “Yuh have some frustrations. Yuh got hurt and it's okay to talk about it.”

“Talk to us, Crypt,” the engineer then said, moving to stand up and join Ajay on the man’s other side. “We’ll make ya feel better. And, if we don't, I can always go beat him up for ya.”

At the very least, it prompted a small smile from him. “No, he doesn't deserve that. I just… didn't expect him to use the paranoia thing, even when he was mad.” He was finished with the sugar now, beginning to stir it. “He knows how bad it gets…”

“Doesn't have a right ta use it like that. I'm sorry, sweetheart.” Tentatively, Ajay placed a hand on the drone pilot’s shoulder. A slight flinch, but he didn't recoil, didn't lash out. A good sign, better than the two alternatives. “‘Ey, why don' we go watch a movie?”

“Sounds good to me. Whatcha say, Crypt? Girls’ night out?”

He rolled his eyes, laughing softly. “Sure.”

— ;;

The next time Elliott saw Park, he looked less… stony. And as soon as they were alone together, in the communal kitchen whilst Elliott finished up his eggs and Park sipped away at the remnants of his coffee, Elliott got up and moved over to where the hacker was. 

The two were silent during breakfast, Elliott especially so. He was normally talkative, debating whatever nonsensical thing Octavio decided to come up with that morning with Park’s occasional remark. Everyone pretended they didn't notice, tried to keep the attention off of them, and the hacker appreciated as much. 

Now that they were alone, however, Elliott had the opportunity to properly apologize without an audience. 

Park looked over at the approaching engineer, setting his coffee on the counter before the other started talking. 

There wasn't much talking, however, because, immediately, the man was pulling Park into a bone-crushing hug, which had been immediately followed by a long, blubbering, tear-filled “I'm sorry.”

The hacker couldn't really make sense of anything he was saying aside from the apologies, but he couldn't even be mad, because he's positive his hoodie has been soaked through with tears, if the wetness on his shoulder where Elliott’s face was buried is anything to go by. A sigh, his hand moving to gently pat Elliott’s back, the other rubbing his bicep. 

“Elli, it's okay,” he said once the blubbering had ceased for a moment, prompting Elliott to pull away and stare at him with those large, teary eyes of his. “We're not breaking up over this.”

“Really?” came Elliott's voice, cracked and hopeful, and—really, it only makes him think of the relationships he's had that have dumped him for less. 

“Of course not. I'm very certain you're sorry, and I see no reason to break up with you. One insult isn't going to sour how I feel about you.”

There was a shaky breath of relief from the trickster, who immediately moved to press a teary kiss to Park’s cheek, nosing at the spot he kissed. “I don't deserve you.”

“Shut up. You deserve the world, especially after everything you've been doing for your mother and everything you do for me.”

“I'm still gonna make it up to you.”

“Mm. And how will you do that?”

The trickster’s hold loosened a bit, arms gently looped around Park’s waist, with lips pressing pecks against the sensitive synthetics covering his neck. “Maybe some… time, alone, together, me talking about how much I love you?”

The hacker released a quiet chuckle, half-synthetic hands moving to hold the back of Elliott’s head. “Maybe…”

“Wanna go to your room?”

“With my cat in there?”

“… My room then.”

“Sounds perfect.”


End file.
